Grain-elevator structure.



-D G. JOHNSTON.

GRAIN ELEVATOR STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 5, lsl'e.

1,259,021, Patented Mar.12,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

D. GIJOHNSTON GRAINELEVATOR STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.1916- Patented- Mar. 12, 1918.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2 ill DAVID G. JOHNSTON, 0F OLAYW'ORKS, IOWA.

GRAIN-ELEVATOR STRUCTURE.

Application filed June 5. 1916.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, DAVID G. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Clayworks, in the county of \Vebster and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Grain-Elevator Structure, of which the following is a specification.

In structures of this class'it is customary and important to have a central elevator shaft surrounded by a bin or bins in which grain is contained and stored. It is also customary and important to have a. drive way extended directly through the central portion of the grain elevator structure, so that vehicles loaded with grain may be driven into the structure and unloaded on the interior thereof.

The objects of my invention are to provide a structure of this kind having the customary important features mentioned, and especially adapted so that it may be constructed of hollow tile blocks.

More particularly it is my object to provide astructure of this kind in which the walls thereof may be made of a single layer of hollow tile blocks, for purposes of lightness and cheapness, and at the same time to provide means whereby the structure may be made strong enough to resist the strains to which such structures are ordinarily sub jected and at the same time to have all of the well known advantages of hollow tile structures as to permanency and durability.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the structure, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical, central, sectional view of a grain elevator structure embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, detail view partly in section, illustrating the means for supporting that portion of the wall at the top of the driveway.

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal, sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. at shows a like view taken on the line -ffl: of Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that my improved grain ele vator structure comprises essentially two circular upright walls, the inner one being designated generally by the reference nu- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Serial No. 101,776.

meral 10, and the outer one 11. These walls are spaced apart so that the space between them is sutlicient in capacity to receive the grain to be stored in the elevator structure. Each of these circular walls is preferably constructed of hollow tile blocks of the kind ordinarily used in silos and other circular tile structures, and as illustrated in detail in Fig. 2, where the blocks are indicated by the reference numeral 12.

For the purpose of making both the circular hollow tile structures strong enough to resist the pressures and strains to which they are ordinarily subjected, I provide between each horizontal layer of hollow tile, reinforcing wires or rods l-i extending circumferentially around the structures and laid in courses of cement or mortar between the rows of tile.

in order to thoroughly brace both of the circular walls at suitable intervals and to make a strong unitary structure of the entire device, and also for the purpose of dividing the structure into a series of independent bins into which different kinds or qualities of grain may be stored if desired, I have provided a series of radial or substantially radial walls 15, extending from the inner circular wall to the outer circular wall. These partition walls are made of hollow tile and between the courses thereof and in the cement or mortar, I provide a series of straight reinforcing wires or rods 16, which wires or rods are connected at their inner ends to the reinforcements of the inner circular wall, and at their outer ends to the reinforcements of the outer circular wall, to thereby prevent any possible movement of the inner wall inwardly or the outer wall outwardly. In this connection it is to be understood that movement of the inner wall. outwardly or the outer wall inwardly is positively prevented by these partition walls even without reinforcements, although the strains to which the inner and outer circular walls are subjected are always in a direction against the inner wall inwardly and the outer wall outwardly, so that by reason of the peculiar arrangement of the partition walls and the reinforce ments, the entire structure is tied, braced and supported 'in such a way as to resist the strains to which the structure is ordinarily subjected.

In order to provide the customary and desirable vehicle driveway through the center of the structure, I have arranged two of the partition walls 17 on each side of the structure parallel. with each other and in line with those on the opposite side of the struc ture. These walls unite with the adjacentportions of the inner circular wall, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, thus forming the side walls of a continuous driveway through the structure. Between these two side walls 17 at both sides of the structure, the circular walls are omitted, as illustrated in Figs. 1'

central portions extended across the space on the interior of the inner circular wall.

-Across each of the lower ends of the inner and outer circular walls above the driveway, I provide channel bar 19 of inverted form, into which the lower course of tile is laid. Then from the bars 18 I support the channel bars 19 by means of the brace rods 20, so that all strains in a downward direction upon those portions of the circular wall directly over the driveway, are carried by the solid portions of the inner circular wall which stand over or above the places where said walls continue down to the foundation.

On each of the sides of the structure opposite from the driveway, are two additional partition walls 21, substantially like the walls 17 and having similar reinforcements,

thus dividing the structure as shown in the present instance, into eight compartments. In the bottom of each of the compartments I provide an inclined bottom member 22 having a discharge opening at 23 through which the contents of the bin may be discharged into the driveway to be loaded into vehicles.

The central circular wall is preferably extended above the outer circular wall, forming a cupola 2a, and a separate roof 25 is provided between the inner and outer walls to cover the grain compartments. This cupola serves the purpose of providing light and air into the interior of the structure, and also for receiving the grain elevating machinery customarily employed in structures of this class. V

The advantages of circular wall structures made of a single thickness of hollow tile, are well known, in that large numbers of silos have been and are now being erected of a single layer of hollow tile blocks reinforced by circular wires between the courses and laid in the mortar. These structures, as is well known, are very durable and resist very heavy internal pressure strains, and are substantially water tight. By my improved construction I am enabled to obtain 'all'of the advantages of these structures and at the same time to adapt the hollow tile structure to the construction of grain elevators in which it is desirable to have a large driveway through the center of the structure and a central shaft and cupola for light and air. By providing the concentric circular inner and outer walls with substantially radial walls between them, I provide .a structure adapted for grain elevator purposes, and by means of the simple and inexpensive reinforcements herein set forth, the entire structure is made strong enough so that the relatively thin single tile walls and partitions provide all the necessary strength required for grain bin structures of this class.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. grain elevator comprising an inner substantially circular wall, an outer sub stantially circular wall, a series of partition walls extending from the inner to the outer wall, each of said walls being formed of horizontal rows of hollow blocks laid with rows of mortar between them, reinforcing wires or rods laid in the mortar between the rows of blocks of each circular wall, and reinforcing wires or rods laid in the mortar between. the rows of blocks of the partition walls, and connected at their ends with the reinforcements in the circular walls.

2. In an improved structure of the class described, and adapted to be'formed from tile blocks, an outer circular wall, an inner circular wall spaced therefrom, said walls having alined openings in their lower portions adapted to form a passageway through the entire .structure, bars extended across the top of said openings and adapted to support the wall above them, a bar extended across the compartment formed by the inner circular wall and having its ends embedded in said wall at places spaced above the tops of said openings, and brace rods extended from the last described bar to the intermediate portion of the first described bars.

Des Moines, Iowa, August 1st, 1915.

DAVID G. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses r E. J. HALLIGAN, MALLIE VVOFF L.

Gcple! of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

